Adjunct Professor B.V.R. Chowdari

Prof. B.V.R. Chowdari obtained his PhD degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, India; Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from the K.L. University, India; and the Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) from the Mangalore University, India. As a part of his academic career, Prof Chowdari worked at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras; the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, in different capacities at different times with the ultimate one being the Professorship at both NUS and NTU. In his previous appointment as Senior Executive Director in the President’s Office, NTU, Prof Chowdari conceptualised, built, and cultivated the NTU-India Connect initiative to connect NTU with the Indian Universities and Institutes of Higher Learning in India through variety of actions. Currently serving as Singapore coordinator for the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) initiative under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, Prof Chowdari plays a key role in facilitating academic and research collaborations between NTU and Indian universities/institutions to jointly solve scientific problems of national and/or international relevance.

Prof Chowdari is currently a member of the Board in SRM University – AP, Amaravati, India; Viswakarma University, Pune, India; and Vignan University, Vadlamudi, Guntur Dt., Andhra Pradesh, India. He was conferred the titles of Honorary Fellow, Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences; Honorary Advisor, Government of Andhra Pradesh, India; “Officer in the Order of Academic Palms” by the French Government; “Event Ambassador 2010” by the Singapore Tourism Board, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore. He was also a recipient of the Long Service Medal from the President of Singapore in 2008, Outstanding Science Entrepreneur 2009 Award by NUS, and Cadi Scientific Medal and Prize by the Institute of Physics Singapore in 2015 for his outstanding contributions to Physics education and creating Physics awareness in Singapore.

Prof Chowdari’s distinguished leadership in the scientific community is testament of his scholastic prowess in the field of materials science and his vision for advancing the discipline. He has served as President of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS) and Asian Society for Solid State Ionics; Member of the International Council for Science (ICSU); and Chairman of the 15th Asian Physics Olympiad, Singapore. Some of the appointments he currently holds include: Senior Executive Director and President Emeritus of Materials Research Society of Singapore; President Emeritus of Asian Society for Solid State Ionics; and Academician and Vice-President of Asia Pacific Academy of Materials.

Prof Chowdari has established research laboratory, first of its kind in NUS and the region, for carrying out research on synthesis and characterisation of materials for potential applications in solid state batteries. The laboratory is instrumental in developing several research groups in Singapore and the region. His current research interests lie in the area of materials science, specialising in the synthesis of materials using different methods, characterising them by variety of techniques, and finding applications in energy storage devices – more specifically Lithium Ion batteries. To-date, he has published >425 papers in international reputed journals, edited >25 conference proceedings, and has obtained >23,000 citations with h-index of 78. In 2018, he was named one of the “2018 Highly Cited Researchers” by Clarivate Analytics.

His current administrative responsibilities include fostering research collaborations between NTU Singapore and the Indian Universities and Institutes of Higher Learning through research internships, student and faculty exchanges, joint symposia and joint PhD programmes. As the current Chairman of the International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies (ICMAT) series, Prof Chowdari is responsible for promoting the niche capabilities of local researchers internationally and establishing extensive collaborations with the global scientific communities.